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University of Liverpool > News > Dwelling on negative events biggest cause of stress

PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 17, 2013

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Dwelling on negative events biggest cause of

stress

The study analysed the

responses of over 32,000
participants, aged 18 85
years, who completed the
BBCs `Stress Test

A study by
psychologists at the
University of Liverpool
has found that
traumatic life events are
the biggest cause of
anxiety and depression,
but how a person thinks
about these events
determines the level of stress they experience.
Researchers from the Universitys Institute of Psychology, Health and Society analysed the
responses of over 32,000 participants, aged 18 85 years, who completed the BBCs `Stress
Test, an online survey to explore the causes and consequences of stress.
Thinking style as much a factor
The study the biggest of its kind in the UK found that traumatic life events were the single
biggest determinant of anxiety and depression followed by a family history of mental illness
and income and education levels. Relationship status and social factors made smaller but
still significant contributions to stress. However, the results revealed that a persons thinking
style was as much a factor in the level of anxiety and depression a person experienced.
The `Stress Test, which was launched on BBC Radio 4s `All in The Mind and available on
the BBC website to complete, asked participants a range of questions about their family

history of mental health problems, life events, income and education levels, relationship status
and social circumstances.

Whilst we cant change a persons

family history or their life
experiences, it is possible to help a
person to change the way they think
and to teach them positive coping
strategies that can mitigate and
reduce stress levels

It also asked participants about how they

responded to stressful situations, for
example, did they talk to friends about their
problems, did they turn to alcohol to reduce
stress, did they blame themselves.
Professor Peter Kinderman, Head of the
Institute of Psychology, Health and Society,
lead the research. He said: Depression and
anxiety are not simple conditions and there is
no single cause. We wanted to find out more
about what caused people to suffer from
anxiety and depression and why some people

suffered more than others.

Whilst we know that a persons genetics and life circumstances contribute to mental health
problems, the results from this study showed that traumatic life events are the main reason
people suffer from anxiety and depression. However, the way a person thinks about, and
deals with, stressful events is as much an indicator of the level of stress and anxiety they feel.
Leading cause of disability
Whilst we cant change a persons family history or their life experiences, it is possible to help
a person to change the way they think and to teach them positive coping strategies that can
mitigate and reduce stress levels.
Mental health problems affect one person in every four, making it the leading cause of
disability. Its direct cost to England alone is estimated at 41.8 billion per annum but the wider
costs to in terms of the economy, benefits, lost productivity at work, amounts to more than
70billion per year.
The research, in collaboration with the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh, is published
in PLOS One
MORE

People with depression tend to

pursue generalised goals

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Digital University Press Release University

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Health,

home page

Institute of Psychology Health and Society,

mental health, PLOS ONE, Professor Peter
Kinderman

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